ESPN projects Nikola Jokic will remain Nuggets lone All-Star
Dec 12, 2023, 3:07 PM | Updated: 3:11 pm
Nikola Jokic has never played with a teammate who has had an All-Star season, and if the NBA season keeps playing out the way it has—that note will remain true.
ESPN’s too-early All-Star game projections has the reigning Finals MVP as the lone All-Star representing the champion Nuggets in Indianapolis. While Kevin Pelton did pick a rookie to make the event for the first time since 2011 and four other first-timers—none will be from Denver, and Pelton is probably right at this point. Despite winning the title this summer, Denver doesn’t have a true candidate for a player to get on the NBA’s elite team.
The two best options Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon both have huge holes in their cases, even though they were huge in the postseason a year ago. Murray has only played in 11 of the Nuggets 24 games and Aaron Gordon has taken a step back in his productivity. Rounding out the starting five are Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who are both having strong but very similar starts to the season that they had a year ago when they didn’t make the contest.
The All-Star Game is on Feb. 18 and fans have until Jan. 31 to vote. The Nuggets will play about 28 more games from Tuesday’s contest in Chicago until when rosters should get announced for the contest. That leaves Murray with still the best shot to join his two-man game partner at the mid-season classic despite missing 13 games.
ESPN has Jokic starting next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Funny, given the two Lakers fell to the Nuggets via sweep in the playoffs but undoubtedly both are having stronger seasons than the second-best Nuggets player.
Jokic is a shoe-in given he nearly leads the NBA in points, rebounds and assists as of Tuesday. Jokic is the favorite to capture the MVP about a quarterway through the season, which would be his third trophy. The five-time All-Star that’s soon-to-be six-time, is the lone MVP in league history to never have had a teammate to be named an All-Star, All-NBA or All-Defensive player. A typical MVP has about 12 by this point in their career. Following a similar path to Micheal Jordan in many ways.
Two other stars downed by the Nuggets last summer, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, headline the group leading the pack to make the west reserves. While there’s nearly a third group, Rudy Gobert is just on the outside looking in from teammate Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic, Chet Holmgren, Alperen Sengun and De’Aaron Fox.
